The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Dendranthema grandiflora (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.), identified as MN Sel. 83-267-3.
MN Sel. 83-267-3 is a product of a planned breeding program which had the objective of creating chrysanthemum inbreds to increase homozygosity at loci controlling important phenotypic traits and for eventual use as a parent in creating F1 hybrid seed chrysanthemums. The plant originated as a seedling from a self-pollination of MN Sel. 79-214-2 (unnamed and unpatented), made in 1982 at St. Paul, Minn., during the course of breeding efforts in an on-going garden chrysanthemum breeding project. MN Sel. 83-267-3 is a second generation inbred.
MN Sel. 83-267-3 was discovered and selected as one flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in the fall of 1983, in the St. Paul campus field test plots at the University of Minnesota. The first act of asexual reproduction of MN Sel. 83-267-3 was accomplished when vegetative cuttings were taken in March-April 1984, in a controlled environment in St. Paul, Minn., from the initial selection that had been dug from the field in October 1983. MN Sel. 83-267-3 has been maintained as part of the breeding germplasm for crossing objectives.
In 1987, MN Sel. 83-267-3 was selected to be included in five environments (Chart A) for evaluation as a day neutral (DN) plant. It was established to be a three week short day (SD) response group plant. Under increasingly stringent long day (LD) photoperiods, it was superior to standard greenhouse and garden SD cultivars, as well as garden DN cultivars. Other characteristics that made this plant outstanding were the semidouble decorative flower type, short plant height, and insensitivity to thermophotoperiodic delay in flower bud initiation and development. The distinctive characteristics caused us to select the plant for further testing for production as a greenhouse pot plant.
MN Sel. 83-267-3 has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary significantly with variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity and day length. Under normal growing conditions that satisfy the factors for plant growth, the normal phenotype occurs. However, we have observed that when grown during December through February, with low light levels, the flower color will be uniformly purple under any of the following conditions: 1. 62.degree. F. nights (N), SD photoperiod (0800-1600 hours); 2. 62.degree. F. N, LD photoperiod: natural daylength plus four-hour night interruption (NI) with incandescent light (2200-0200 hours); 3. 62.degree. F. N, LD photoperiod: natural daylength conditions plus 18 hours 400 watt HID-HPS light (0300-2100 hours) and 4. 55.degree. F. N, LD photoperiod: natural daylength plus four-hour NI with incandescent light (2200-0200 hours). These purple flower changes are not sports due to mutation. Descriptions of these changes are included as appropriate. Horticultural examination of selected units initiated since 1983 have demonstrated that the combination of characteristics as herein described for MN Sel. 83-267-3 are firmly fixed and are retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction.